The moulding holding a truck windshield in position includes an elastomeric moulding engaged over the metal or plastic frame edge defining the windshield opening and having a peripheral slot into which the windshield engages. The outer edge of the moulding defining the windshield edge engaging slot is then forced against the outside face of the windshield for sealing purposes, by the insertion of an insert moulding into a slot adjacent said outer edge. When new, these insert mouldings are relatively easy to insert but when replacing windshields, after considerable use has occurred, the mouldings tend to harden and sometimes are extremely difficult to replace.
For trucks manufactured by General Motors and Ford Motors, a tool exists consisting of a flattened strip having a relatively blunt pointed one end with a rectangular aperture being formed through the flatened strip just behind this one end.
The insert moulding is fed through the aperture from the rear underside so that the moulding lies over the pointed edge which is then engaged within the flanged slot and the tool is then moved along the slot with the sides of the tool opening the slot and the rear of the aperture forcing the moulding down into the slot so that the flanged upper edges engage under the sides of the moulding.
Unfortunately, this configuration only operates with GM and Ford products and cannot be used with insert mouldings of trucks manufactured by Dodge or several foreign manufacturers.
It is therefore normal for such mouldings to be forced into place by opening the slot with a screw driver and using a rubber mallet or the like to pound the insert moulding into position.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a tool, the principal object of which is to engage the insert moulding into the receiving slot of the sealing moulding, in a manner similar to the tool manufactured for GM or Ford products but using a configuration considerably different from the existing tool.
A preferred embodiment of the invention combines the shape apertures of both the existing GM tool and the present invention so that a single tool can be used for GM truck windshield mouldings, Ford truck windshields mouldings, Dodge windshield sealing mouldings and many foreign manufacturers' windshield mouldings.
An aspect of the invention is therefore to provide a device of the character herewithin described of a tool for engaging an insert moulding within the channel of a truck windshield sealing moulding comprising a flattened elongated metal strip, the sides of said strip at one end thereof converging substantially to a point, and a V-shaped aperture formed clear through said strip from one face to the other with the apex of the V-shaped aperture being adjacent said pointed one end, said aperture lying symmetrically along the longitudinal axis of said strip with the sides of the aperture being substantially spaced and parallel to the sides of the said one end of said strip, said sides of the aperture widening gradually from the apex thereof to the rear end of the aperture, said rear end of the aperture being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said strip.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide, in the preferred embodiment, a single tool usable for the majority of truck windshield insert mouldings.
A still further advantage of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known to the applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which: